In response to reports that iPhone 15s were running hot over the weekend, Apple pointed to an array of possible causes for the problem, including app-specific problems like Instagram and Uber, problems with background processing/post-transfer, and the presence of unspecified bugs in iOS 17.
With the new software update created recently by Apple, the company was able to address a bug that could cause the iPhone to run hotter than normal. According to the patch notes for iOS 17.0.3, this bug may cause the iPhone to run hotter than usual.
It has been identified that two vulnerabilities have been fixed for both iOS and iPadOS in an update highlighting the security fixes included in this patch. An attacker with local access to the device could exploit the first vulnerability, which was a kernel exploit that could be exploited by a local attacker on the device.
Apple mentioned that they believe it was exploited against older versions of iOS before iOS 16.6.
It was also tackled in the update that a bug had been found in libvpx, which had been previously raised as a concern by CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and had been noted by them.
A device with this bug may be vulnerable to remote attacks that could allow attackers to gain control of the device remotely.
Additionally, other applications such as Chrome and Firefox have recently implemented similar patches to fix the same libvpx bug that was identified in the Chrome bug report.
As a result, it is recommended that you check for the latest version of the iOS on your device in the Settings application. The download will take approximately 400MB, and there is no charge for this update.
This update addresses an issue in iOS, the iPhone operating system, that was discovered on Wednesday.
The developers of these apps are also updating their apps with fixes for bugs that have been found in them.
In addition, Apple said that the heat issue with the new phones was not partly due to the titanium and aluminium frames on the new models at the top end, and it was not partly due to the USB-C port since USB-C is the standard for charging phones now.
It should be noted that Apple informs its customers that all iPhones are likely to feel warm when they are being restored from a backup, while they are being wirelessly charged, when using graphics-rich apps and games or when streaming high-quality video.
As long as iPhones display an explicit warning about the temperature, they are safe to use, according to Apple.
There has been a security problem identified in iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3 that was addressed by Apple with improved checks, but Apple has not yet revealed who is responsible for finding and reporting the issue.
In a nutshell, there are a lot of devices that have been impacted, including:
iPhone XS and later
In addition to iPad Pro 12.9-inch and iPad Pro 10.5-inch 2nd generation models, there are the iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st generation models, the iPad Air and iPad Mini 5th generation models, as well as iPad 6th generation models.
The open-source libvpx video codec library does not contain a heap buffer overflow vulnerability, CVE-2023-5217, which can be exploited to execute arbitrary code, resulting in the execution of arbitrary code following successful exploitation.
The vulnerability was also addressed by Apple.
Despite this fact, Apple has not labelled the libvpx bug as exploited anywhere in the wild, but it has already been patched as a zero-day by both Google and Microsoft in their Edge and Teams web browsers and their Skype service.
As part of Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), a group of security experts who are known for frequently discovering zero-day vulnerabilities in government-sponsored targeted spyware attacks that target high-risk individuals, Clément Lecigne discovered CVE-2023-5217 as part of a research project.
In the past few months, Apple has begun to fix 17 zero-day vulnerabilities discovered by its clients through attacks due to CVE-2023-42824 being exploited. Aside from the recently patched CVE-2023-41991, CVE-2023-41992, and CVE-2023-41993, Apple recently patched three other zero-day vulnerabilities reported by Citizen Lab and Google TAG researchers and exploited by hackers to install Cytrox's Predator spyware during spyware attacks.
In addition to these two zero-day bugs (CVE-2023-41061 and CVE-2023-41064), Citizens Lab also disclosed today that they were exploited, together with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, to infect fully patched iPhones with BLASTPASS, a zero-click exploit chain exploited by the FBI.
In the same way that new phones and new operating systems come out at around the same time each year, it's not uncommon for new iPhones to receive specific iOS patches in rapid succession. In addition, older devices receive a more thorough vetting as they enter the months-long developer and public beta programs, which Apple is making even easier to use in recent releases.
There is currently a beta version of the first major update to iOS 17 called 17.1, which is currently being tested. According to MacRumors, the update appears to mainly refine a few of iOS 17's new features, such as the StandBy smart display mode.
A comprehensive list of the changes can be found in MacRumors. It is expected that Apple will release the 17.1 update within a couple of weeks if it follows its usual schedule.
Although rumours were circulating about potential hardware issues, possibly linked to the iPhone 15's advanced processor or the incorporation of titanium components, Apple's official statements primarily attribute the problem to software-related issues.
Moreover, they also acknowledge the possibility of overheating when utilizing USB-C chargers.
It is worth noting that Apple had previously released a post-iPhone 15 launch patch to address data transfer problems that were experienced by certain new users.
Additionally, it is important to mention that the company is currently in the beta testing phase for a more substantial update, namely iOS 17.1. This update is expected to bring significant improvements and enhancements to the overall user experience.
